50:5 The sovereign Lord has spoken to me clearly; 3
I have not rebelled,
I have not turned back.
50:6 I offered my back to those who attacked, 4
my jaws to those who tore out my beard;
I did not hide my face
from insults and spitting.
50:7 But the sovereign Lord helps me,
so I am not humiliated.
For that reason I am steadfastly resolved; 5
I know I will not be put to shame.
50:8 The one who vindicates me is close by.
Who dares to argue with me? Let us confront each other! 6
Who is my accuser? 7 Let him challenge me! 8
50:9 Look, the sovereign Lord helps me.
Who dares to condemn me?
Look, all of them will wear out like clothes;
a moth will eat away at them.
3:1 Finally, my brothers and sisters, 38 rejoice in the Lord! To write this again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.
4:1 So then, my brothers and sisters, 39 dear friends whom I long to see, my joy and crown, stand in the Lord in this way, my dear friends!
1 sn The figure of the baptism is variously interpreted, as some see a reference (1) to martyrdom or (2) to inundation with God’s judgment. The OT background, however, suggests the latter sense: Jesus is about to be uniquely inundated with God’s judgment as he is rejected, persecuted, and killed (Ps 18:4, 16; 42:7; 69:1-2; Isa 8:7-8; 30:27-28; Jonah 2:3-6).
2 tn Grk “to be baptized with.”
3 tn Or perhaps, “makes me obedient.” The text reads literally, “has opened for me an ear.”
4 tn Or perhaps, “who beat [me].”
5 tn Heb “Therefore I set my face like flint.”
6 tn Heb “Let us stand together!”
7 tn Heb “Who is the master of my judgment?”
8 tn Heb “let him approach me”; NAB, NIV “Let him confront me.”
9 tn Grk “And now, behold.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.
10 tn Grk “bound.”
11 sn This journey to Jerusalem suggests a parallel between Paul and Jesus, since the “Jerusalem journey” motif figures so prominently in Luke’s Gospel (9:51-19:44).
12 tn BDAG 965 s.v. συναντάω 2 has τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ συναντήσοντα ἐμοὶ μὴ εἰδώς without knowing what will happen to me there Ac 20:22.”
13 tn BDAG 826 s.v. πλήν 1.d has “πλὴν ὅτι except that…Ac 20:23.”
14 tn The verb διαμαρτύρομαι (diamarturomai) can mean “warn” (BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 2 has “solemnly urge, exhort, warn…w. dat. of pers. addressed”), and this meaning better fits the context here, although BDAG categorizes Acts 20:23 under the meaning “testify of, bear witness to” (s.v. 1).
15 tn The Greek text here reads κατὰ πόλιν (kata polin).
16 tn Grk “saying that,” but the participle λέγον (legon) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
17 tn Grk “bonds.”
18 tn Or “troubles,” “suffering.” See Acts 19:21; 21:4, 11.
19 tn Grk “soul.”
20 tn Or “I do not consider my life worth a single word.” According to BDAG 599 s.v. λόγος 1.a.α, “In the textually uncertain pass. Ac 20:24 the text as it stands in N., οὐδενὸς λόγου (v.l. λόγον) ποιοῦμαι τὴν ψυχὴν τιμίαν, may well mean: I do not consider my life worth a single word (cp. λόγου ἄξιον [ἄξιος 1a] and our ‘worth mention’).”
21 tn BDAG 1106 s.v. ὡς 9 describes this use as “a final particle, expressing intention/purpose, with a view to, in order to.”
22 tn Grk “course.” See L&N 42.26, “(a figurative extension of meaning of δρόμος ‘race’) a task or function involving continuity, serious, effort, and possibly obligation – ‘task, mission’…Ac 20:24.” On this Pauline theme see also Phil 1:19-26; Col 1:24; 2 Tim 4:6-7.
23 tn Or “to the gospel.”
24 tn Grk “And coming.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here. The participle ἐλθών (elqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
25 tn Grk “and taking.” This καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more. The participle ἄρας (aras) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
26 sn The belt was a band or sash used to keep money as well as to gird up the tunic (BDAG 431 s.v. ζώνη).
27 tn The participle δήσας (dhsas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
28 tn The words “with it” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
29 tn Grk “and will deliver him over into the hands of” (a Semitic idiom).
30 tn Or “the people there.”
31 tn The term translated “breaking” as used by Josephus (Ant. 10.10.4 [10.207]) means to break something into pieces, but in its only NT use (it is a hapax legomenon) it is used figuratively (BDAG 972 s.v. συνθρύπτω).
32 tn L&N 18.13 has “to tie objects together – ‘to tie, to tie together, to tie up.’” The verb δέω (dew) is sometimes figurative for imprisonment (L&N 37.114), but it is preferable to translate it literally here in light of v. 11 where Agabus tied himself up with Paul’s belt.
33 tn The participle πειθομένου (peiqomenou) in this genitive absolute construction has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.
34 tn Grk “we became silent, saying.”
35 sn “The Lord’s will be done.” Since no one knew exactly what would happen, the matter was left in the Lord’s hands.
36 tn Grk “according to the goal.”
37 tn Grk “prize, namely, the heavenly calling of God.”
38 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.
39 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.